Fast Forward

In the last episode of Season 1, Christina D. Eskridge sits down with Brisa Areli Muñoz to talk about how her public health background has elevated her artistry. Pun intended, because Christina is the founder and executive director of Elevate Theatre Company LLC in New York City. "Christina D. Eskridge, MPH grew up in Oakland, California. She performed all over the state in regional and community theater productions while studying for her Master’s in Public Health. After a few years of working full-time in Public Health, Christina moved to New York City to pursue performing arts full-time.  She attended the CAP21 2-Year Professional Musical Theatre Training Program and began performing around the country in plays, musicals, readings for new shows, and in New York venues like Lincoln Center, 54 Below, Rockwood Musical Hall, and Don't Tell Mama NYC. Christina played Lisa in the North American Tour of the smash hit musical, Mamma Mia!, Lily Livingston in On Strivers Row and Joan in Fun Home. In 2018, Christina was seen performing in her own one-woman show, A Night at Sheridan Square in the New Ohio Theatre’s Up Close Festival.  Christina is also the founder and executive director of Elevate Theatre Company LLC in New York City. Elevate creates space for audiences and artists to explore health and well-being through the art of storytelling." ------------ About MTF MTF equips artists to create musical stories as a collective force for justice, healing, and radical imagination. Stay in Orbit: Website: www.mtf.nyc Instagram: @mtfmusicals YouTube Give Back ---------- CREDITS Produced by | MTF Musicals  Hosted by | Brisa Areli Muñoz  Featuring | Christina D. Eskridge Elevate Theatre Company Arts for Everybody Production  Creative Director | Andrea Negrete DP | Andrew Young  Editing | Andrew Young  Sound Mixing | Falan Nuhring   MTF Team Abigail Grubb | Director of Interdependence & Collective Care Andrea Negrete | Director of Access & Advocacy AriDy Nox | Director of Decolonization & Sustainability Brisa Areli Muñoz | Director of Artistic Innovation & Emergent Magic Brandon Powers | Artistic Innovation Lead Falan Nuhring | Coordinator of Connectivity & Systems Sidney Erik Wright | Artistic Programs Lead   MTF Board of Directors Amy Goldwasser Ariel Estrada Catherine Pulley-Dennison Cheyenne Myrie Isabel Quinzaños Alonso M Von Nida   Special Thanks To  The MTF Community & MTF Makers Past and Present Kelindah Bee | Producer of Fast Forward Live Tapings  Sol & Yue Productions Shakina Nayfack | Founding Artistic Director Mei Ann Teo | Former Artistic Director Walter   MTF’s Institutional Support The Mellon Foundation Joseph F. Savage Jr. Charitable Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation The Jerome Foundation Fast Forward is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Cheeyang Ng and Brisa Areli Muñoz sit down to talk taking more risk, the creation journey of Legendary, celebrating the moment, & their relationship with MTF over 12 years. "Legendary: The Myth of Creation is a solo musical that reimagines the act of myth-making through a queer, diasporic lens. It follows the journey of the Narrator, a queer Asian immigrant living in the U.S., as they navigate the question: Should I have a child? Along the way, they confront what it means to belong: across borders, between binaries, and within family.​ This is not some imagined realm. It is our world, where ancient legends and dominant narratives have long failed to make space for queer bodies. The Narrator asks: Why have our stories excluded us? Why is the world so obsessed with either/or? Through personal memories, Chinese mythology, and a fractured relationship with their father, they begin to deconstruct what legacy, lineage, and love truly mean. This is not a passive performance. Through circle singing, call and response, and shared storytelling, the audience becomes a vital part of the experience, co-authors of a new myth. By the end of the evening, together, we create a new story: one where queer people don’t just exist in the margins of myth, but are central to its creation.​ Legendary is not just a retelling; it’s a reimagining. A communal ceremony. A collective act of reclamation." ------------ About MTF MTF equips artists to create musical stories as a collective force for justice, healing, and radical imagination. Stay in Orbit: Website: www.mtf.nyc Instagram: @mtfmusicals YouTube Give Back ---------- CREDITS Produced by | MTF Musicals  Hosted by | Brisa Areli Muñoz  Featuring | Cheeyang Ng, Legendary Production  Creative Director | Andrea Negrete DP | Andrew Young  Editing | Andrew Young  Sound Mixing | Falan Nuhring   MTF Team Abigail Grubb | Director of Interdependence & Collective Care Andrea Negrete | Director of Access & Advocacy AriDy Nox | Director of Decolonization & Sustainability Brisa Areli Muñoz | Director of Artistic Innovation & Emergent Magic Brandon Powers | Artistic Innovation Lead Falan Nuhring | Coordinator of Connectivity & Systems Sidney Erik Wright | Artistic Programs Lead   MTF Board of Directors Amy Goldwasser Ariel Estrada Catherine Pulley-Dennison Cheyenne Myrie Isabel Quinzaños Alonso M Von Nida   Special Thanks To  The MTF Community & MTF Makers Past and Present Kelindah Bee | Producer of Fast Forward Live Tapings  Sol & Yue Productions Shakina Nayfack | Founding Artistic Director Mei Ann Teo | Former Artistic Director Walter   MTF’s Institutional Support The Mellon Foundation Joseph F. Savage Jr. Charitable Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation The Jerome Foundation Fast Forward is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

In this episode, Brisa Areli sits down with writing duo Melliot (Mel Hornyak & Elliot Valentine) of Makers Cohort IV! We get into the joy & importance of Queer/Trans art, speculative fiction as a genre, and how they're writing their communities directly into their art. Listen in and learn more about the various project Melliot has been cookin' up! ------------ About MTF MTF equips artists to create musical stories as a collective force for justice, healing, and radical imagination. Stay in Orbit: Website: www.mtf.nyc Instagram: @mtfmusicals YouTube Give Back ---------- CREDITS Produced by | MTF Musicals  Hosted by | Brisa Areli Muñoz  Featuring | Melliot Production  Creative Director | Andrea Negrete DP | Andrew Young  Editing | Andrew Young  Sound Mixing | Falan Nuhring   MTF Team Abigail Grubb | Director of Interdependence & Collective Care Andrea Negrete | Director of Access & Advocacy AriDy Nox | Director of Decolonization & Sustainability Brisa Areli Muñoz | Director of Artistic Innovation & Emergent Magic Brandon Powers | Artistic Innovation Lead Falan Nuhring | Coordinator of Connectivity & Systems Sidney Erik Wright | Artistic Programs Lead   MTF Board of Directors Amy Goldwasser Ariel Estrada Catherine Pulley-Dennison Cheyenne Myrie Isabel Quinzaños Alonso M Von Nida   Special Thanks To  The MTF Community & MTF Makers Past and Present Kelindah Bee | Producer of Fast Forward Live Tapings  Sol & Yue Productions Shakina Nayfack | Founding Artistic Director Mei Ann Teo | Former Artistic Director Walter   MTF’s Institutional Support The Mellon Foundation Joseph F. Savage Jr. Charitable Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation The Jerome Foundation Fast Forward is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.